


To the Library

by I_Am_Bella_Donna



Series: Blacksun Week 2020 [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Post-Volume 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25553638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Am_Bella_Donna/pseuds/I_Am_Bella_Donna
Summary: Day 2: ReunionWalking through the streets of Vacuo, Blake is thrilled to see a certain familiar face. But things aren't always what they seem.Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong
Series: Blacksun Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847251
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	To the Library

**Author's Note:**

> CONTENT WARNING: IMPLIED/REFERENCED CHARACTER DEATH

If being stationed in Atlas in the middle of winter had seemed bad, it was _nothing_ compared to transitioning to Vacuo in the middle of summer.

Blake was moving almost silently as she walked through the streets, thankful for the blanket of darkness hanging in the air. Earlier that day, Qrow had cashed in a few favors and gotten the group a couple of free rooms at a semi-reputable inn. However, despite the fact that the others had crashed almost immediately upon arrival, Blake found herself restless and unable to fall asleep. After an hour of laying in the dark and staring at the ceiling, she finally decided to take a walk and burn off some energy.  
  


So far, she was able to navigate the city with a vague sense of familiarity. She had visited Vacuo once or twice while she was still with the White Fang, making her the only person other than Qrow, Maria, and Ozpin who had ever set foot in the kingdom before. That, added to the fact that she had grown up on Menagerie, a desert even wilder than Vacuo, meant that she was the only one comfortable with the climate.

However, the city was a much more pleasant temperature at night, and she was not complaining—even if the setting was starting to remind her of her time in Menagerie.

Blake pulled her light sweater around her, a faint longing for a certain monkey Faunus ringing through her heart.

* * *

_“If you ever go to Vacuo, you should_ definitely _check out one of the libraries!” Sun told her from where he hung from a tree by his tail._

_“Uh-huh,” she hummed, not even bothering to look up at him. “And since when do Vacuans like reading?”_

_Sun pouted. “How dare—” he paused, before shrugging. “Actually, you know what? That’s fair.” He fell to the ground, rolled, and sprung to his feet. “But seriously, Vacuo only has like, three libraries in the entire city, but one of them in particular is_ really _pretty and peaceful inside. Like, I don’t even_ read _, and I love hanging out there!”_

_Blake looked up and cocked her head to one side, smiling faintly. “That…actually sounds really nice.”_

_“It is!” Sun agreed. He sat down next to her and folded his arms behind his head. “I promise, Blake: one day, I’m gonna take you to that library,” he said with a smirk._

_She laughed. “I think I’ll hold you to that,” she teased, standing up and placing a bookmark in her book. “But the only place I plan on going right now is the cafeteria. My teammates and I were going to meet up with Team JNPR. Do you want to come?”_

_Sun stood up. “Since when would I miss an opportunity to hang out with the craziest students at Beacon? I gotta climb up the ranks somehow!”_

_“In that case…” Blake said, a rare mischievous smile on her face._ “Try to keep up.”

_Out of nowhere, she bolted toward the cafeteria, leaving a startled Sun in her wake._

_“Hey!” she heard him squawk indignantly behind her. “Blake, wait up!”_

* * *

“Hey! Blake, wait up!”

She froze.

That voice had not been a part of her imagination.

Blake felt every muscle tense, prepared to yank out her weapon and fight at a moment’s notice. Slowly, she turned around to see…. 

_“…Sun?!”_

He looked the same as he had back in Argus—a bright smile, laughing blue-grey eyes, and messy blond hair. Blake felt something bubble up inside of her at the sight of him—a sense of comfort she had not even realized she was missing. 

_He was really here._

Before she knew what she was doing, she ran over to him and embraced him, giddy with excitement.

“I—I was _not_ expecting to see you here,” Blake laughed, trying and failing to keep her voice steady. After they split up, not a day went by that she did not think about him. Did not worry about his safety; about whether or not he had managed to reach Vacuo in one piece. Upon finding out that she and the others were headed to the desert kingdom, Blake had been filled with nervous excitement at the thought of seeing Sun again, despite the fact that they had only been apart for a few months.

Unfortunately, given that everyone had had to abandon their Scrolls after they became fugitives, she had been unable to call him once they entered the range of the Vacuo CCT. Qrow had promised her that she could ask Headmaster Theodore about Team SSSN when they met with him, but she had been incredibly worried about the possibility of receiving bad news.

Never before had she been so relieved to be wrong.

As they pulled apart, Blake could not stop an involuntary laugh from escaping her. _He was really here…._

“I told you that you hadn’t seen the last of me,” Sun teased her. 

Blake rolled her eyes, doing nothing to conceal her smirk. “Well, you know what they say—once a dork, always a dork.” She leaned against a building and folded her arms. “So, I see you made it to Shade. How do you like being back in Vacuo?”

“It’s, uh…” Sun’s smile dimmed slightly. “It’s okay. How was Atlas?”

Blake paused at his tone. “Sun?” she asked, looking over him carefully. “Is…everything okay?”

His smile brightened once more. “Yeah, it—it’s fine. Anyway, what are you doing outside so late?”

Blake shrugged, tabling her worry for the moment. “Couldn’t sleep. You?”

“I was just out…looking for something.”

Well, _that_ was nothing if not suspicious. “And…did you _find_ what you were looking for?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Sun said, grinning at her. “So I should probably be heading back soon. Uh…how long have you been in the city?”

“About twelve hours,” she deadpanned.

Sun snickered. “In that case, we _definitely_ have to meet up and talk later, but before I go, I wanna give you something.” As he spoke, Sun reached behind his neck and untied his signature gold medallion, holding the item out to her.

Blake paused. “…What?” _Why is he giving this to me?_

Sun smiled, but it looked more sad than mirthful. “It matches your outfit!” That was technically true—Blake had had the foresight to trade in her Atlesian combat clothes for Vacuan ones of black and gold—but something about the whole situation was starting to feel…off. 

“Sun,” Blake said tentatively, stepping closer and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you _sure_ everything is okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked. She raised an eyebrow and stared at him until he began to shift nervously under her gaze.

“Okay, fine,” he finally confessed, the fake smile sliding off. “Look, I…I promise I’ll explain everything, just…can we meet up tomorrow to talk about this?” 

Blake furrowed her brow and nodded, finally taking the necklace. “Okay. And…thank you.”

“No problem,” Sun replied, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Could you meet me at this address tomorrow at noon?”

She nodded as she read over the address. “What is this place?”

Sun gave a small smile—one that looked far more real than the others had been. “I told you I’d show you the best library in the city, remember? Whaddya say?”

Blake felt herself grinning in response. “I’d like that.”

The two of them stared at one another for a moment before Sun moved forward and wrapped his arms around her once more. “I really missed you,” he whispered.

She choked back a laugh. “I missed you too.”

* * *

Blake found herself grinning as she surveyed the building before her.

The group had a couple of days before they would be able to meet with Headmaster Theodore. Thus, she did not have to worry about inconveniencing the others by heading out.

As she walked into the library, she was immediately hit by a wave of amazement. 

Sun had not been kidding about how beautiful it was.

Blake gaped as she took in her surroundings. The most surprising part was the fact that the building, which she had _thought_ was only one story tall, actually extended several floors downward. Several floor-to-ceiling bookshelves hugged the walls, and in the center of the room was a large hole and guardrail, allowing people to look over the other floors. Every corner was filled with cushy chairs, and the place seemed to glow with a dim, yet warm, lighting.

She walked over to the checkout desk to wait for Sun—the paper had said to meet him there. She looked over at the clock, happy to see that she had five minutes left to spare. Blake easily passed the time by browsing through one of the old newspapers on display.

She finished it quickly and moved on to another.

Then a third.

About half an hour later, Blake was on the final available paper, which was dated exactly one week ago. As much as she hoped that Sun was just late, or even that he had stood her up, given the way he had acted the previous day, she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. 

_Very_ wrong.

Blake sighed, resolving to search for Sun if he did not show up within the next five minutes. She turned her focus back to the newspaper and flipped the page—

—and then her heart stopped.

_Thirteen Shade Students Killed During Mission._

The article spanned two pages, the first containing a summary of the events and the second with photos of every dead student.

She stared at the first photo, and a smiling face with messy blond hair and laughing storm-grey eyes grinned back.

Blake felt as though she was dreaming, horror flooding her veins. It was impossible, wasn’t it? She had seen and spoken to Sun just last night! Her hand flew to the medallion that now hung around her neck. That meant he had to be alive, right?

_Right?_

Desperate for proof that _this wasn’t really happening_ , Blake took out the note he had given her, hoping for some sort of overlooked clue on the paper. However, an involuntary gasp escaped her when she saw that the paper was now blank…except for one blood-chilling sentence.

_I promised I would show you the library._


End file.
